(SI) Minority Influence

Question 1

Name the 3 key aspects of a minority that is necessary to influence the majority

Answer 1

Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility

Question 2

Define consistency (Minority Influence)

Answer 2

Diachronic - When a person maintains a consistent position (opinion) over time
Synchronic - Where there is an agreement among members of the minority group

Question 3

Define commitment (Minority Influence)

Answer 3

Engage in potentially extreme activities to draw attention to their viewpoint - at some risk to the minority group (Augmentation Principle)

Question 4

Define flexibility (Minority Influence)

Answer 4

Too consistent can seem rigid and dogmatic (1 viewpoint)

Important to adapt their point of view to new information and accept reasonable and valid counter-arguments

Question 5

Define the snowball effect

Answer 5

• Starts with deeper processing - Occurs when we hear an opinion we haven’t hears before, thus makes us think more deeply about the issue as a result
• 1 member of the majority undergoes deeper processing, changing their opinion to that of the minority, making the majority slowly start to transfer to the minority’s opinions, making the minority the new majority

Question 6

Name a study done into supporting the consistency theory

Answer 6

Moscovici’s Blue-Green Slide Study

Question 7

Explain Moscovici’s Blue-Green Slide Study

Answer 7

• 6 participants estimated the colour of 36 slides
• Slides were blue - brightness was changed
• Minority (confederates) constantly said the slides were green and majority began to be influenced and agreed

Question 8

Name the steps to social change

Answer 8

1) Drawing Attention - Alerting the majority to an issue faced by a minority
2) Consistency - Saying the same message over and over again
3) Deeper Processing - Majority thinking about an issue more deeply
4) Augmentation Principle - Taking risks to get message across
5) Snowball Effect - People from majority join minority view
6) Social Crypto Amnesia - People remember change came about, but can’t remember how, making it easier for the majority to accept the minority view as they don’t associate the change with a minority

Question 9

What are 2 studies done into minority influence?

Answer 9

• Moscovici’s slides
• Martin et al - presented viewpoint, then Ps listened to minority/majority viewpoints, found after listening to minority they adopted and didn’t change from their viewpoint (deeper processing)

Question 10

Evaluate the steps of social change

Answer 10

• Explains CRM
• Foxcroft, reviewed interventions, found only a small reduction in drinking quantity - normative SI doesn’t have long term social change